Privacy & Record Retention Policies

Privacy Policy

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires accountants and tax preparers to report their privacy policy annually to their clients. Our privacy policy is detailed below and always available upon request for all clients. For clients receiving income tax return preparation services (individual and/or corporate), it will also accompany your copy of your income tax return.

We do not disclose any non-public personal or financial information about our clients or former clients to anyone, except as instructed to do so by such clients or as required by law. We restrict access to non-public personal or financial information, except to our employees who need such information in order to provide services to you. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to guard your non-public personal and financial information.

Electronic Data Transmission and Storage

In the interest of facilitating our services to you, we may send data over the Internet, store electronic data via computer software applications hosted remotely on the Internet, and/or utilize cloud-based storage. Your confidential electronic data may be transmitted or stored using these methods. We may use third party service providers to transmit or store this data, such as providers of tax return preparation software. In using these data transmission and storage methods, our firm employs measures designed to maintain data security. We use reasonable efforts to keep such transmissions and electronic data secure in accordance with our obligations under applicable laws, regulations, and professional standards.

You recognize and accept that we have no control over the unauthorized interception or breach of any transmissions or electronic data once it has been transmitted or if it has been subject to unauthorized access while stored, notwithstanding all reasonable security measures employed by us or our third-party vendors. You consent to our use of these electronic devices and applications and submission of confidential client information to third party service providers during this relationship.

Email Communication

We may communicate with you or others via email transmission during the course of this relationship. Emails can be intercepted and read, disclosed, or otherwise used or communicated by an unintended third party, or may not be delivered to each of the parties to whom they are directed and only to such parties. No data transmissions over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Consequently, we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information transmitted to us and you do so at your own risk. We also cannot guarantee or warrant that emails from us or to us will be properly delivered and read only by the addressee(s). You expressly waive any legal or equitable claim against us arising out of or related to a) the storage of information, and/or b) the transmission of information to us or from us, whether or not caused by third parties. You agree that we shall have no liability for any loss or damage to any person or entity resulting from the use of email transmissions, including any consequential, incidental, direct, indirect, or special damages, such as loss of revenues or anticipated profits, or disclosure or communication of confidential or proprietary information.

Client Portal

To enhance our services to you, we utilize a file sharing program via a protected, online environment. This allows us and you to share data, MSA & SOW information, and deliverables in a protected environment. You agree that we have no responsibility for the activities of the file sharing program and agree to indemnify and hold us harmless with respect to any and all claims arising from or related to the operation of the file sharing program. If you decide to transmit your confidential information to us in a manner other than a secure portal, or if you request us to transmit confidential information to you in a manner other than a secure portal, you accept responsibility for any and all unauthorized access to your confidential information. The secure file sharing program provider is subject to change without notice.

RECORD RETENTION POLICY

Our record retention policy requires us to return to you all original records and documents that you have given to us at the conclusion of the SOW, unless we are requested by you to hold them. Your records are the primary records for your operations and comprise the backup and support for your financial reports and tax returns. Our records and files are our property and are not a substitute for your own records. All documents generated by our office will be retained for a minimum of five (5) years, or longer if deemed necessary by federal and state regulations. Catastrophic events or physical or other deterioration may result in our firm’s records being unavailable before the expiration of the above retention period. Original documents sent to us for tax return preparation will be returned once tax return preparation is completed. We will only keep those documents, or copies of those documents, that are necessary for retention. We have the right to retain copies of any and all documents that are sent to our office and necessary for service completion.